Second-half rally carries QU football team to victory in first road game

NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Quincy University football coach Gary Bass knew it hadn’t happened often, if ever.

“In the 12 years I’ve been here, whether that’s full-time as an assistant or as head coach, I don’t think we’ve come back from a double-digit deficit,” he said. “I can’t think of one.”

It actually had happened three times since Bass joined the QU staff for the 2011 season.

Saturday, the Hawks made it four.

After digging themselves a 10-0 first-half hole and scoring only on a safety before halftime in their first road game of the season, the Hawks rallied behind quarterback Tionne Harris and a sack-happy defense to score a 28-13 victory over Walsh at Larry Staudt Field.

“Our kids stayed together and didn’t get rattled,” said Bass, whose team improved to 2-1 ahead of next week’s Homecoming game against No. 10 Ashland. “They did what they needed to do to win a ballgame, and that’s all that matters. We’re coming back home with a ‘W.’”

It matches the third largest deficit the Hawks have overcome since becoming an NCAA Division II program.

Quincy trailed Southwest Baptist 31-21 at halftime in 2014 at Flinn Stadium, but rallied for a 59-34 victory. In 2019 in Bolivar, Mo., Southwest Baptist led 24-7 in the second quarter, but the Hawks were able to score 27 second-half points and score a 48-34 victory.

Last year, the Hawks trailed Missouri S&T 21-10 late in the first half, but scored in the final minute of the first half and then scored touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters to snare a 31-28 victory on Homecoming at QU Stadium.

Much like those games, the offense found its way in the second half.

Limited to 78 yards in the first half, the Hawks drove 77 yards on the opening possession of the third quarter and finished with 262 yards of total offense in the second half. 

“The defense looked at the offense at halftime and said, ‘We’ve got you. Get your footing,’” Bass said. “That’s cool to see. You don’t always see that. You see teams bicker and fight. We didn’t do that.”

Nor did they allow second-half miscues to sideswipe them.

Quincy led 14-13 at the start of the fourth quarter when quarterback Tionne Harris was intercepted by Walsh’s Cam Hollobaugh on the first play of the Hawks’ drive at midfield. The Cavaliers proceeded to drive to the QU 24-yard line before back-to-back stops by Hawks linebacker Jackson Connell forced a third and long.

Walsh quarterback Tom Vatter completed the third-down pass, but it went for no gain, and a 39-yard field goal attempt was missed.

Ten plays later, Harris scrambled on third and 7 from the Walsh 15-yard line and found a seam that enabled him to scamper into the end zone for a touchdown. Tremayne Lee added 43-yard scoring run in the final minute to cement the road victory.

Harris threw for 221 and rushed for 45, while Anik Mckenzie caught four passes for 62 yards and Angel Ruiz had a 74-yard touchdown reception.

Senior linebacker Peyten Chappel had 12 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and an interception, while junior linebacker Peyton Plunkett had two sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

“They were timely sacks, too,” Bass said.